Wednesday, January 11, 2017

The latest MPA Magazine Media 360° Brand Audience Report shows the largest Print audience increase since the report was introduced two and a half years ago. Print+Digital audience grew 5.5% versus last year according to the November 2016 report. Because the other measured platforms continue to grow, Total Audience has reached 1.9 billion, up 9.2% compared to the same month a year ago. This is the second-highest percentage gain we have seen in 2016. According to the Brand Audience report, 71% of the reported brands (92 out of 130) were up in Print+Digital audience compared to a year ago, with nearly half of them (42 out of 92) up by double digits. For the most part, the remaining brands were relatively flat to slightly down.

Hearst Magazine Earnings Grew for Third Year in a Row: David Carey’s New Year’s Letter

D.B. Hebbard writes: "Hearst is, indeed, one of the few magazine companies that still regularly talks about title launches, mostly celebrity branded titles or ones based on hot topics, but launches, nonetheless. At least are two are planned for this year: The Pioneer Woman, a partnership between Hearst, Scripps and Food Network star Ree Drummond, and Airbnb Magazine..."

The scramble for diverse new revenue streams has never been more frantic as magazine media companies begin the new year. Events, merchandising and licensing and native advertising are among the cash generators that surely will get more attention in 2017.

Freeform Orders Pilot of "The Bold Type" Series Inspired by Joanna Coles’ Life

Greg Dool reports: "Effective immediately, business publications now have the option of selecting which of their issues is analyzed for a given reporting period (generally, either three or six months). The rule, which goes into effect with BPA's December 2017 reports, comes with a slight caveat; once a publisher selects an issue to be analyzed, they're locked into that decision for at least the next three years."

Lili Goksenin, ahead of the holidays, moved into the next phase of her professional life: digital editor of GQStyle.com. “Lili is a zippy and sharp writer who’s brimming with original story ideas, and she’s got a finely-tuned radar for not just high fashion but also style subcultures and interesting men of note,” said GQ editor in chief Will Welch.

Men’s lifestyle magazine FourTwoNine is relaunching: “The goal was to create a magazine that had substance and took the conversations well beyond the printed page. A unique property somewhere in between a Vanity Fair and a Vice,” Richard Klein said, in a statement.

The inaugural issue features interviews with Loic Prigent, Soko, and rapper Hamza: Since being launched in 2014, the Paris-based web site — which calls itself a “daily guide for the urban hedonist” — has become a reference for trends for streetwear and sneakers as well as shining a light on up-and-coming artists. The site has been a partner of Vice Media’s network in France since July.

MPA–The Association of Magazine Media has released its 2016/17 Magazine Media Factbook today, the definitive source of magazine media research. Since 1985, MPA has been compiling and packaging the most compelling and comprehensive facts and figures around magazine media. Derived from third-party sources and MPA’s own research and data collection, the new Factbook has nearly 100 pages of current and useful information.
“Nothing informs a discussion better than solid data,” said MPA’s President and Chief Executive Officer Linda Thomas Brooks, “and the 2016/17 Magazine Media Factbook has plenty of conversation starters. The research continues to show that magazine media is the most trusted, inspiring and influential of all media, and several new studies provide even more proof of magazine media’s unique ability to drive sales.”